Hire with the right paperwork.
Offer letters, employment and contractor agreements, and confidentiality and IP terms drafted with California's rules — including its strict test for who counts as a contractor — in mind.
Employment & Contractor Documents, item by item.
Every engagement is scoped to what you actually need. These are the matters Eight Law handles most often in this area.
Employees
The documents that come with each hire.
- Offer letters and employment agreements
- Confidentiality and invention assignment agreements
- Equity grant documents coordinated with your plan
- Separation agreement templates
Contractors & consultants
Using outside help without creating avoidable risk.
- Independent contractor and consulting agreements
- Classification considerations under California's ABC test
- Statements of work and deliverable terms
- IP assignment for contractor work
Advisors
Bringing in experienced people on clear terms.
- Advisor agreements
- Advisor equity grants and vesting
- Confidentiality and IP terms
California-specific terms
Clauses written for the state you're hiring in.
- Restrictive covenants drafted with California's limits on non-competes in mind
- Invention assignment notices under Labor Code § 2870
- Templates you can reuse for future hires
Signs it's time to call.
How it's billed
A set of hiring templates is usually a flat-fee project. For growing teams, ongoing hiring documents fit naturally into an outside general counsel retainer.
- You're making your first hire
- You rely on contractors and aren't sure they're classified correctly
- You're bringing on advisors in exchange for equity
- Your templates were copied from another state
- Someone is leaving and you need a separation agreement
What working together looks like.
Direct access to your attorney at every step — no hand-offs, and scope and fees agreed in writing before work begins.
- 01
Discovery call
Who you're hiring, how, and where.
- 02
Template set
Offer, agreement, and IP documents tailored to your business.
- 03
Review & rollout
Walkthrough of how and when to use each document.
- 04
Ongoing support
Questions answered as new hires and situations come up.
How does California decide if someone is a contractor or an employee?
Can I use a non-compete with employees in California?
Do you handle employment disputes or wage claims?
Read before you call.
Independent Contractor vs. Employee in California: The ABC Test
How California's ABC test (AB 5, Labor Code § 2775) decides worker classification, the main exemptions, penalties for willful misclassification, and practical steps.
Read the guide Contracts10 Contract Clauses to Read Before You Sign
The contract terms that decide who carries the risk — liability caps, indemnities, IP, termination, non-competes, attorney's fees — with California-specific notes.
Read the guideRelated services.
Let's build something that lasts.
Tell us where your business is headed. We'll tell you what it takes, legally, to get there.